Slytherin's better than Gryffindor by yoshi09

Rating: PG
Warning: pre-slash, but nothing obvious really.
Genre: General
Pairings: Albus Severus/Scorpius mostly.
Summary: Meeting between two wizards… as destined as their fathers' were before them.

A/N: one-shot kind of fluffy cuteness. okay, so you know now, it bothers me when Albus Severus and/or Scorpius are portrayed to be replicas of their father in personality. although I'll allow that Scorpius "resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry," I believe that's strictly just the physical aspect. you'll most likely notice the differences instantaneously- it's the effects of post-war life. Special thanks to my beta, Holy Pancake, and my other friend for a second opinion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters that will be mentioned or used in this story, but J.K. Rowling wrote the epilogue to cater to her fans so I'll graciously accept the gesture and hopefully to do her NextGen characters justice.

Chapter 1
The Difference Between Them and you

Albus Severus Potter was still staring out the window in a strained posture as if trying to see something far away even after the final stretch of a bend caused the platform and his father's tall figure to disappear from view. A bittersweet feeling was on his tongue and he couldn't seem to shake it. He could still hear his mother's voice ringing in his ears while she kneeled in front of him as she made sure his robe was straight, and his hair didn't stick up too much, 'Now you know you'll make us proud, so don't worry about your brother.'

James had been mocking him ever since he got his very own letter that invited him to be a part of the renowned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Albus was bound to be a Slytherin since James had 'already taken most the good genes and only left enough for Lily.' Albus had since then been dreading going to the magical school, insisting he just attend a regular Muggle one instead, even though he wasn't sure why Slytherin seemed to be placed into such a negative context, all he knew was if he wasn't placed in Gryffindor… Albus shuddered- he didn't want to even think about it.

"Homesick, already?" James' voice said loudly in his younger brother's direction. Albus could almost hear the mischief of plotting in James' sickly-sweet tone that wafted from his grinning face.

Albus immediately sat down properly in his seat next to where his cousin, Rose, had sat prior before she left the booth to track an unsuspecting chocolate frog who jumped out. A blush rose prominently to his cheeks thanks to his inheritance of soft pastel skin.

"No," he murmured.

"Sure, Al," said James, a laugh already rising through his words. He pulled out some colorful candies from his robes pocket, the trademark triple purple W's startlingly familiar to the two current inhabitants of the train compartment. Albus' eyes grew wide,

"Where'd you get those?"

"Swiped them," said James impishly, opening up a pink wrapper and popping the creamy colored substance inside.

"James!" Albus said half in concern and half panic, "Mum's going to kill you!"

"Mum won't know. Will she?" James said, eyeing Albus in pseudo suspicion.

Albus, who had just recovered from his previous embarrassment felt blood rush to his cheeks once more as he muttered a quiet, "No, she won't."

James let out an uproarious laugh,

"Joking! Hahaha, Uncle George gave me a packet earlier yesterday when we visited his shop," James ceased his laughter and chewed the gummy in his mouth a few more times, his tongue already changing into the same shade as the candy- as was the effect of it, "Nice to know you're so loyal though. Hey! Maybe you'll be in Hufflepuff!" he fell into another fit of mirth at the idea, Albus looking thoroughly confused until James regained his breath, "You had better not be, though. How embarrassing."

"What's so bad about Hufflepuff?" said Rose, defensively, as she walked back into the booth and sat down next to the younger Potter, a few snacks from the tea trolley in her arm and a chocolate frog squirming in her grasp, "I never hear anything about them."

"Exactly. They're all mediocre," James swallowed the gummy candy and stuck his tongue out to reveal his candy cane striped tongue which Rose couldn't help but laugh at before he continued, "No one remembers Hufflepuff. The Sorting Hat said it before, that Hufflepuff 'took all the rest.'"

"Oh shove it, James!" said Rose in a reprimanding fashion quite similar to Hermione and Ginny's before she turned to look at Albus as he looked glumly on, "Don't listen to him, Al, my mum said Hufflepuff is as equally an honorable house as the others," she shot a glare at her older cousin, "I can't believe you follow those stereotypes so strictly. You remind me of my dad."

"All of our parents were in Gryffindor- even yours, Rose," James said cheekily, "Could you imagine the disappointment if you two don't end up in Gryffindor House like we did?" He emphasized the "we" as if to remind them that he, unlike them, had nothing to worry about.

She huffed, as it was obvious she wished to be sorted into Gryffindor and didn't say anything else as she pulled the length of her auburn hair, an interesting hybrid of slightly tinted dark red to a very light brown, to the side, and turned back to dividing the various biscuits and treats between the three of them.

Albus no longer felt comfortable in his new robes, having felt so nervous, and removed it in his curious meticulous way of pulling by the hem of his sleeves first and folding it casually across his lap once. Rose finished separating the piles and pushed a pile in Albus' direction which he pocketed in one of the robes' pocket without bothering to check what flavors of snacks she bought. James on the other hand, immediately found something to complain about,

"Rooose," he whined, "you didn't get me Ice Mice!"

"They didn't have any," Rose replied, still a little unnerved by him, "They only had Peppermint Toads."

"I saw them when we passed the trolley earlier."

"Well I looked and-"

"I'll get them," said Albus, never one to like argument.

James grinned as if some scheme he had planned was falling perfectly into action right before his eyes.

"Great! Here are three sickles, that should cover it. The trolley's near the back of the express by now-" Before Albus could protest he was shoved out the booth, the door locking behind him with a satisfying click.

- - - - -

Albus had immediately regretted volunteering. "Near the back of the express" like James suggested was an understatement, as the trolley was in the last car of the train as opposed to where Albus hailed from near the middle front of the express. And Rose was right, of course- there really were no Ice Mice. He sighed dejectedly and bought a Peppermint Imp to sate his displeasure. It didn't help that the middle-aged woman who had pushed the trolley stared at him in awe for a reason he was not aware of and miscounted his change, and tried to give him four galleons instead of the intended 15 knuts. Albus just let her keep the change as he shuffled back down the aisle. He had just moved through the fourth car from the back when an older student came up to him, a blue and bronze badge with an eagle embellished on it glinting proudly on his chest.

"Excuse me, we can no longer have any students walking about the aisles especially since the Hogwarts Express is moving and the tea trolley has closed."

"Okay," Albus replied, slightly intimidated by the boy's tall figure and calculative tone. He sidestepped to move around him, but the boy held his ground.

"My cousin and brother are just a few more cars down," said Albus, a little wary at his under-exaggeration.

"I'm sorry, it's the train's policy, and as Ravenclaw prefect, I have to enforce it. You could sit on one of the booths on either side of me. This is to ensure your safety," he said in what Albus felt was unnecessary formality. The Ravenclaw prefect gestured to his left and Albus had no choice but to oblige as he entered the booth, feeling more dismal than before.

He sat down without looking at his surroundings, save for the floor, a little relieved that the compartment wasn't occupied except for a student in the seat across him as Albus had spied a pair of dragonhide boots in his line of vision. Albus missed muggle candy, the fact they didn't do anything at all but be flavorful and harmless placed the ordinary sweets in a special place in the 1st year's heart. He was vaguely aware of the three muggle sweets in the left pocket of his trousers that he planned on saving throughout the duration of the year. He chewed the last of the candy, thankful at the lack of side effect Pepperment Imps promised to grant on the wrapper, before pulling on the collar of the comfortable homemade sweater Grandmother Weasley had knitted him last Christmas.

"Hello," said a voice curtly.

Albus looked up, surprised at the voice. The voice belonged to a boy with platinum blond hair and steely gray eyes that warmed with polite interest at the newcomer in his cubicle. He had a paper flipped open centerfold on his lap and a box of assorted Weasley's Wizard Wheezes candy to his left next to a discarded robe that already sported the Slytherin crest, which amazed Albus since the boy looked scarcely over his age.

"You must be Harry Potter's son," he said.

"Yes. How'd you know?" Albus asked in surprise.

The boy rose an eyebrow in curiosity as the question, "Who doesn't? You're a spitting image of the pictures on the paper."

Albus felt relieved that for once, he wasn't compared to his brother.

"Oh. The paper? You mean the Daily Prophet?"

"No, The Quibbler. Everyone knows the Daily Prophet is a load of rubbish."

Albus blushed pink as if a crisp breeze brought color to his cheeks, feeling embarrassed about not knowing what the student in front of him seemed to think he knew. Albus nodded sheepishly as if to agree, but the act would go unnoticed by the analytical boy, catching that Albus hesitated too long.

"Here, you can look at it if you want," he made a move as if to pass the paper in his direction but Albus Severus immediately moved backwards as far as the compartment would allow.

"I can't look at it. Father always told us not to read the paper. He says that gossip is usually the only thing in it anyway and it's not worthwhile."

"Us?" he asked.

"Oh, my brother James, and I mostly. My younger sister doesn't care for reading enough to bother like we do."

The boy across Albus gave a small smile which spread from the corner of his mouth and caused his whole face to upturn in a friendly gesture. A dimple blemished the otherwise smooth porcelain skin, breaking the perfect doll-like face into something more natural,

"You're Albus Severus Potter, then?"

"Al," Albus corrected politely in his quiet voice, not bothering to question how he knew that either.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy. You can call me Scorpius."

Albus couldn't help but continue blushing as he nodded again, fingering the hem of his sleeves once more,

"Scorpius." Albus repeated, as if rolling the taste of his name on his tongue.

"That's right…" said Scorpius slowly in amusement, suppressing a small chuckle at Albus' elementary behavior.

They fell into polite silence once more, Scorpius openly examining the dark-haired boy in front of him, the paper momentarily forgotten while Albus stared shyly down at his hands which fidgeted on lap. It took only a few seconds before Scorpius saw Albus eyeing the candy box next to him and he picked out a candy at random and offered it to Albus, "Want some?"

Albus shook his head and resisted the urge to tell Scorpius that his Uncle owned the shop from where his candies were from.

"I don't really like wizard candy."

The blond found this idea absurd, "What other candy is there?"

"Muggle candy tastes really good."

"Muggle?"

Albus looked up from his lap as the change in tone confused him.

"Yes. Muggles."

Scorpius face mirrored Albus' confusion, then flew in fervor of mixed emotions before settling on one of polite leisure again, "That's… interesting."

"I have some in my pocket-"

"No thanks," said Scorpius quickly with a minute wrinkle of his nose.

Albus face broke into a grin, remembering what his father had told him about some wizards and witches being cautious of anything concerning Muggles since they didn't understand them.

"It's safe, really," he prodded gently.

"No, thank you," Scorpius said a little more stiffly as if holding his breath, his lips tightening to a thin grim line. Albus took this as a cue to change the subject.

"So what's Hogwarts like?"

Scorpius relaxed considerably, "Not sure. Father says it's really big with moving stairs, false doors, and echoing hallways. They give you a map with your schedule though to make sure you don't get too lost. Prefects and staff are usually very helpful and forgiving the first few weeks too, as new students are still getting used to the school."

This puzzled Albus, "Aren't you in second year?"

The fair-haired boy rose his eyebrows, his expression on his sharp features changing to one that was bemused, "No, what gave you that idea?"

Albus couldn't help but eye the Slytherin crest a little critically. Scorpius laughed at his acquaintance's uncertain guise.

"My whole family is Slytherin, naturally I'm going to be in that house too."

"Does it work like that? Is house sorting hereditary?"

"…Hm, for my family it is. And I'm glad, Slytherin is the best house."

Albus hadn't noticed he made a face until Scorpius snickered,

"All right, Al, what house do you want to be in?"

"Gryffindor," he replied without a beat or thought.

Scorpius fell into a voracious fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Albus, unsure if he should be offended. Albus brushed a long unruly bang out of his face as Scorpius replied through the mirth,

"Why Gryffindor?"

"Well…" Albus started, "It's the noble and brave house. All the best wizards come from Gryffindor House, and a lot of the people I look up to are alumni of it. Everyone in there is adventurous and bold and-"

"Blah, blah, blah… and what book is giving you that horse shite?" Scorpius asked snarkily, lounging comfortably onto his seat, and leaning his back in the corner between the window and wall. Albus furrowed a brow.

"It's what I believe in," Albus said, showing the first glimmers of annoyance.

"No, it's what you were spoon fed," Scorpius retorted. When Albus didn't respond right away, Scorpius continued, "Besides, who'd want bravery over cunning, ambition and having friends you could absolutely trust?"

"Slytherin turns out bad wizards," Albus replied stubbornly under his breath.

"That's what most people think," Scorpius corrected, not showing any sign of insult to Albus' words, "Honestly, if that was the case, do you think Hogwarts would have a house dedicated to rearing possible criminals in the future?"

"Maybe they put all the evil wizards in there so they can keep an eye on them later and know who to look out for," Albus said, repeating what his brother told him a month or so ago.

"Look, all because the Dark Lord and his minions came from Slytherin doesn't mean that's what the whole house is like. If you looked through my father's archives in our library, you'll see that lots of crimes were spread evenly in all houses. In fact, Gryffindors were known for the most trouble, in the 1970s.

"Think about it, the only bad things you heard was all because of the Dark Lord. All other crimes committed during his reign by other graduates of Hogwarts weren't talked about because it wasn't as important as the Dark Lord rising. He ruined everything for the rest of us by making people like you scared, which Father believes 'gives us a hard time recreating a great legacy.' Slytherins like power, but most of us aren't nearly as dimwitted and easily manipulated as most of the deatheaters were."

"Slytherin turns out bad wizards," Albus repeated again and successfully sounding like a broken record, even to himself. He felt strangely inarticulate compared to the boy across him.

Scorpius looked at Albus in a calculating way before he smiled. He tried a different approach.

"Okay. You're right. Then all other houses are bad too."

"Why?"

"Because that's what I heard."

Albus immediately caught on, "Hey! That's not fair!"

"Why not? It's the same thing you did to me. You won't even listen to my reasons. It's perfectly fair."

Albus' eyes ceased to slits, "You're more like a Ravenclaw."

"Thank you, but no thank you. Slytherin is my place. What is Ravenclaw intelligence without cunning? What is Gryffindor bravery without ambition? What is Hufflepuff loyalty without friendship? Slytherin has the traits the other houses depend on."

"My brother is in Gryffindor… and so were my parents," Albus said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Will they be attached to your hip when you graduate too," said Scorpius, the remnants of a Malfoy smirk appearing on his features.

The brunette wizard looked at his blond acquaintance in front of him, his father's words echoing in his mind,

'…then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al.'

"Scorpius, do you think I'm Slytherin material?" Albus said, very quietly.

Scorpius grinned, "If you were anything like your father, then yes."

A/N: okay before people ask. No, Scorpius, nor did anyone except Albus, Dumbledore and Harry know that he made the conscious choice to go to Gryffindor, and not Slytherin. It's just like the rest of us fans, I'd assume a lot of other characters in the books had speculations about what house other characters should have been in (Hermione in Ravenclaw, etc.) so I transferred that here like the ending. Scorpius is very in tune with the outside world, and news and hears about all these things, and all these stories from his father about Harry Potter that made him come to the conclusion that he would have been a great Slytherin.

Oh, and it was really hard for me to write them as 11 year olds and not the usual 16-17 year old age that I keep my characters in when I write fanfiction, so I had to go back and edit the "larger vocabulary" down.

Please review, it'll let me know if I should create another chapter! -yoshi09